Conventional centrifugal blower assemblies utilized in vehicle heating, ventilation, and cooling (“HVAC”) systems typically include a volute, an electric motor and motor housing supported by the volute, and a centrifugal blower driven by the motor. A cooling air passageway is typically defined by the motor housing and the volute to provide cooling air to the motor during operation of the centrifugal blower assembly. The inlet of the cooling air passageway is typically positioned at a large radius with respect to the axis of rotation of the centrifugal blower near the outlet of the volute (i.e., in a region of relatively high static pressure). The inlet of the cooling air passageway is typically an opening flush with the surface of the volute. Consequently, the inlet of the cooling air passageway is capable of drawing a cooling airflow from the outlet of the volute by taking advantage of the relatively high static pressure near the outlet of the volute. However, the inlet of the cooling air passageway cannot effectively capture the moving air near the outlet of the volute, and therefore take advantage of the relatively high dynamic pressure near the outlet of the volute.